


to be given

by stardazed_daydreams



Category: HLVRAI - Fandom, Half Life VR but the AI are Self-Aware
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fae, Alternate Universe - Not A Game, Animal Death, Autistic Benrey (Half-Life), Burns, Gordon Has An Anxiety Disorder, Half-Life VR But the AI is Self-Aware, Insomnia, M/M, Magic, Nonbinary Benrey (Half-Life), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, PROJECTION NOISES, hmmmm, they/himrey, using they/them for a char until they state what their pronouns are bc
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-09-29
Packaged: 2021-03-06 01:15:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,797
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25925008
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stardazed_daydreams/pseuds/stardazed_daydreams
Summary: “Can I have your name?” The person asked, and Gordon looked.There was something… off about them. At first glance, they looked normal enough, but as Gordon peered closer, he noticed little things. The slightly blue tinge to their skin. The strangeness of the shadow covering their eyes. A slight flash of too-sharp teeth when they spoke, their smile stretching just a hair too wide.Gordon took a half-step back, and their smile dropped.
Relationships: Background Bubby/Dr. Coomer, Benrey/Gordon Freeman
Comments: 73
Kudos: 337





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *starts a new wip* *starts a new wip* *starts-*

It was supposed to be a simple day. Just a trip to the store to restock his fridge, not a big deal. 

But of course, Gordon’s life could never be that easy. 

He was barely out of his house when he collided with the body of a person he didn’t recognize. “Shit, I’m sorry,” he blurted. They picked themself up off the ground, fixing their beanie and dusting off their jeans. 

“No problem, bro,” they said, smiling. “I don’t think we’ve met. Where ya headed?” 

“Oh, just to the grocery store,” Gordon said, smiling politely. “You know how it is.” 

They paused for a second. “Uh. Yes. Getting food can be difficult.” They phrased their words carefully, looking almost triumphant when they got the sentence out. Gordon furrows his brow. “It, uh, was nice to meet you,” they added hastily.

Gordon was so fucking relieved. Thank God, someone who wasn’t social. “Nice to meet you, too,” he said.

“Can I have your name?” The person asked, and Gordon looked. 

There was something… off about them. At first glance, they looked normal enough, but as Gordon peered closer, he noticed little things. The slightly blue tinge to their skin. The strangeness of the shadow covering their eyes. A slight flash of too-sharp teeth when they spoke, their smile stretching just a hair too wide. 

Gordon took a half-step back, and their smile dropped. “... uh,” he said, scrambling for what he knew about fae. Names, names…. Okay. He took a deep breath. “You can call me Gordon,” he said, carefully, and they looked put out.

“god. lame. i never was good at glamors,” they said, and with a shimmer, the disguise fades away. Their ears sharpened to a point and so did the tips of their fingers, the bluish tint to their skin getting darker and darker until the ends were a bright blue. Their eyes became yellow, red irises replacing previously benign blue eyes. “uhhhh can i have your name _please_?” 

“No!” Gordon took another step backwards, pulse racing. He glanced behind himself to his front door. His front door had an iron knob, if he could only…. 

“please? name please?” 

“You first,” Gordon snapped, and their face twisted. 

“what, so you can tell me to jump in the river or something? no way,” they said. “... oh.” they frowned, clearly thinking that over. “i wont drown you bro,” they said. 

Gordon hesitated for a moment. Fae couldn’t lie, right? … still, they had a habit of twisting their words. “I’m not giving you my name, dude!” 

Their face fell. “boo.” After a moment, they straightened up, expression carefully blank. “i’ll just have to follow you then.” 

“What- no!” Gordon took a few more steps back, successfully reaching his front yard. _Yes! Just a few more steps…_

They took just as many steps forward. “sorry i cant leave until i have your name? name please?”

“No!” Gordon scrambled back the last few steps, throwing open his front door and slamming it in their face. Panting, he pressed his forehead to the wood. He heard their palm smack against the door, and then a loud hissing noise he could only assume was them burning their hand on his doorknob. He took a deep breath, eyes closing in relief. Okay. They probably wouldn’t give up that easily, he had to figure out how to scare them out of his front yard, but… at least he had some peace and quiet in here. He opened his eyes and turned around.

There they were, hand raised and expression indignant.

“HOW THE FUCK DID YOU GET IN HERE?” Gordon shouted, pressing his back against the door. 

They scrunched their nose. “real rude of you not to warn me about your door, bro. uh. unepic,” they said, completely ignoring his question. 

“What- get out of my house!” He was fucked now, wasn’t he? “I don’t- you-” he covered his face with his hands. Oh, god. Were they gonna seriously sit here and pester him until he gave them his name? What if they turned his lungs into flowers or something? Could fae even do that? 

“do you have anything i can eat or nah,” they said. When Gordon didn’t respond, they huffed, turning on their heel and shuffling into his kitchen, singing something under their breath. 

Shit, shit, shit. While they were distracted, Gordon pulled his phone from his pocket and looked up “how to protect myself from fae”. Iron- well, that hadn’t worked. Marigold wreaths? Four leaf clovers? St. John’s Wort? God, all of these were preemptive. There was almost nothing on what to do once they had already _got in_ … 

> _Bread_ _and milk can be left as offerings to prevent mischief._

… hm. So if he let them eat, they would leave him alone? 

He lowered his phone and slowly walked into the kitchen. They were sitting on his counter, helping themself to leftover spaghetti that appeared to still be cold.

“That’s gross, man,” Gordon said on instinct. 

They shrugged. “can’t use any of your pots, bro, they’re all, uhhhhh steel.”

“Steel? But I thought iron-” 

“it’s just like uhhh. cleaner iron, bro, it still hurts.” They stabbed their plastic fork into the noodles, slurping obnoxiously. “Mmmmm.” 

“This is crazy,” Gordon said. They shrugged, kicking their feet and finishing off the last of the spaghetti. 

“thanks, bro, good shit,” they said. A stream of teal and gold bubbles left their mouth, accompanied by a long, high-pitched note, and Gordon startled, jerking away. A teal one popped on his face and dissolved, leaving nothing but a faint feeling of hunger behind. The rest dissolved similarly, just… vanishing into the air. 

“What the fuck?” He asked, wiping at his skin, but there was nothing _there_.

“sweet voice, bro,” they said with a shrug. “sorry, can’t uhhhh. can’t always control it.” 

Gordon laughed a little hysterically. “Okay. Am I dreaming? Is this real?” He pinched his arm. No luck. God, he should have known his imagination would never be able to come up with something this wild. Okay. “... Be right back,” he said, fleeing into his bathroom and closing the door. He could hear them rustling around. Something _thumped_ , followed by a deadpan “whoops”, and he winced. He really didn’t like the idea of them alone in his house, but it’s not like he could do this in _front_ of them. 

He paced back and forth in the bathroom, gripping his phone with both hands as it rang. Another thump sounded, followed by another high-pitched note. He hoped the place wouldn’t be completely trashed by the time he got out there. Why was the phone ringing for so long?! He was about to give up, thumb hovering over the ‘end call’ button, when Tommy finally answered. 

“H-hello?” 

“Tommy!” Gordon brought the phone up to his ear. “Hey, bud. Uh, nice to talk to you” 

“Nice to talk to- to you too, Mr. Freeman,” Tommy said. There was a distant ‘woof’. “S-sorry, I’m just taking S-sunkist on a walk!”

“That’s okay. Listen, Tommy, you know about fae and stuff, right?” Tommy had always been really into that kind of thing- aliens, fae, you name it. 

“Of- of course, Mr. Freeman!” Tommy said cheerfully. “Wha-what is it?” 

“Uh, I have a couple of questions. Um… first, why do fae, uh, want names?” 

“Hmmm…” Tommy thought for a moment. “Well, names are p-powerful, Mr. Freeman! I’m sure you know that al-already, though. Uh. A fae can control you if they have your name, whi-which is why you shouldn’t, uh, give it to them! They c-could have lots of reasons wh-why they want that control, though!” 

“Okay…” Gordon bit his lip. That didn’t tell him much more than what he already knew, but it was something. “Uh, okay, and second, what kind of, uh, magic can a fae do?” 

“Oh, th-that depends on a lot of things, Mr. Freeman! What kind of fae they are, if they’re seelie or-or unseelie, age…” he trailed off. “Why?”

“Uh,” another bang from the kitchen, “just curious. Thanks for your help, Tommy, it means a lot,” he said, quickly hanging up before he can respond. He took a steading breath and emerged from the bathroom, walking back into the kitchen. He found them standing on the counter, apparently hiding from the pile of pots and pans spilled across his floor. 

“yo,” they said, and Gordon sighed. 

“Okay,” he said, starting to pick up the pans. “Rule number one: you are NOT allowed to put your feet on places where we also put food.” Ignoring their pout, he continued. “Rule number two: you aren’t allowed to trash my fucking house!” He shoved the dishes back in their cupboard and turned to the faerie, brushing his hands together. “And rule number three: no killing me with your weird magic bullshit.” He stuck out his hand in a clear offer. “Deal?” 

They lit up, grabbing his hand and pumping it. “deal!” 

“Okay. If you’re sticking around, I’m going to need your name and pronouns,” Gordon said. 

They think it over for a second. “he/him or they/them, please and thank you,” they said. “and, uh…”

“... you can call me benrey.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> you know the drill by now folks no beta reader we die like men. lmk if there's any typos
> 
> pls kudos/comment if you enjoyed!


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Benrey receives the scariest shovel talk of his life.

Gordon was on hour four of staring at the ceiling and listening to Benrey’s intermittent footsteps when it all hit him at once.

He sat up, the blanket falling off of him, and gripped the sides of his head. Oh God, he was a fucking idiot. Did he really make a  _ deal _ with a  _ member of the fae? _ And then he just LEFT THEM IN HIS KITCHEN? HE LET THEM LIVE IN HIS HOUSE? WITHOUT KNOWING  _ ANYTHING ABOUT THEM AT ALL? _

Sweet Jesus. Tommy was so much fucking smarter than him, why didn’t he just get him involved, stupid, stupid-

Well, it’s not like he could just kick them out now. ‘Letting Benrey stay’ was sort of implied in the whole  _ deal _ thing, and if there was anything Gordon knew about fae, it was that they could spend  _ forever _ nitpicking the tiniest little details. 

… Honestly, Gordon really didn’t know  _ too _ much about the fae. Aside from growing up in a rural, superstitious town and being friends with Tommy (who knew a little bit about everything), he didn’t have a whole lot going for him. 

Maybe he should do some research? Head to the local library, hit the books…

On second thought, he didn’t really trust Benrey alone in his house. Those rules he’d set were really nebulous. Fuck, he’d already have to leave Benrey alone while he was at work, wouldn’t he?

Goddamn it. As if his life could get any worse. Gordon scrubbed his hands over his face and sighed. A good googling session would have to do, then. 

A few more footsteps and quiet mumbling came from the living room, and Gordon groaned, swinging his legs over the edge of his bed and standing up, pausing only to grab his bathrobe and hastily tie it shut before stumbling into the living room.

He squinted, the combination of it being dark and his glasses making it incredibly difficult for him to see anything. A humanoid shape- he assumed it was Benrey- was crouched in front of his TV, rummaging through the entertainment center and mumbling to himself. 

“Benrey? Don’t you, like, sleep?” 

They twisted, looking at him with blatant confusion in their eyes. “sometimes,” he said, shrugging. “but like, it’s pretty warm right now, bro…” 

Gordon frowned. “What?” 

He frowned back. “what?” 

“Just, nevermind,” Gordon said, exasperated, “you might not need to sleep every night, but I do, so keep it down, okay? What are you even doing right now?” 

“what? what kind of lame, baby shit, fuckin’... _every_ _night?_ ” Benrey’s brow was pulled together in the middle, like the concept of a routine 8 hours of sleep was genuinely baffling to him. “... m’ lookin for your games, bro. uhhhh fabled concept of the ps3.” He rattled a drawer in emphasis, and Gordon sighed, rubbing his temples.

“I don’t have any of those, like, out right now, I moved here kind of- recently, man, they’re still packed up in the garage.” He jerked his thumb towards the garage door, and Benrey lit up. “No, no, I’m not getting those right now, I’m fucking exhausted, man. I’ll unpack them in the morning, just… be quiet. So I can at least  _ try  _ to sleep.” 

Benrey’s frown returned. “bro, how am i supposed to… to stay quiet when there isn’t anything to  _ do. _ ” 

Gordon looked at Benrey. 

Benrey looked at him. 

Gordon sighed, again. “Fine,” he said, and they lit up again, bouncing up on their toes. 

“fuck yesss, game time!” They trailed expectantly after Gordon as he walked into the garage, flicked on a light, and pulled the box labeled ‘VIDEO GAMES’ from the small remaining pile.

Squinting against the bright light, he picked at the tape for a few moments. “God. I’ll have to go get scissors,” he said, standing up, and Benrey scoffed. 

“nah bro. got… tricks. watch this.” He leaned forward and sliced his claw down the line of tape, and the box opened easily. “sweet.” 

Gordon froze for a moment, gaze fixed on those razor-sharp claws. They could tear him to ribbons easily. Gordon suddenly remembered that the only stipulation he’d put in place about killing him was through magic means, and swallowed. 

“bro? set up ps3 please and thank you?” Benrey said, and Gordon was rattled back down to earth.

“Right, uh…” he picked up the whole box, walking it back into the living room while Benrey trailed him like a blue shadow. He had to turn on the lights in here, too, fumbling with various wires while he hooked the console up to his TV. “Here.” He grabbed a controller and held the power button until it turned on. “This should work.” He tossed it to Benrey, who caught it with ease, looking at the screen in delight as it switched on to the ps3 home screen. 

“siiiick, bro! time for some uhhh epic gaming.” Gordon nodded, smiling tiredly. He started shuffling back towards his room. “just one problem,” Benrey said, and he sighed, turning to them with his eyebrows raised. “i... don’t know how to play.” 

Gordon sighed for possibly the ten millionth time that night. He looked at the clock hanging on his wall. 3:00am. Fuck it. Not like he was going to sleep tonight, anyway. “Looks like I’m going to have to teach you, then,” he said, and sat on the couch next to him, picking up the other controller as he went. “Let’s go.” 

...

The sun inched further up in the sky, spilling golden light into the living room through Gordon’s front window, and Gordon rubbed his eyes, staring at the rapidly brightening sky. 

Had it really been that long? A quick glance at the clock told him that yes, it really had been that long, and  _ oh shit Gordon had to be at work in two hours.  _ He jumped to his feet, setting aside the controller, and Benrey paused the game, frowning. 

“wh? bro?” He asked as Gordon rummaged around in his pockets for his phone.

“I have to call out of work,” Gordon explained as he scrolled through his contacts. “I absolutely cannot go type up reports right now, I’m way too fucking tired. Plus, I don’t trust you in my house, like, at all.” 

“man. i’m a great cool, bro… i wont break your shit. on purpose,” they added, and Gordon rolled his eyes. 

“Hey,” he said. “Yeah, I can’t come in to work today.” 

“May I ask the reason?” the woman on the other end of the phone said, typing something. 

“Uh, I’m running a fever,” Gordon lied, and Benrey’s eyebrows flew up. 

“Alright. Please do not come in until a full 24 hours after your fever has cleared up,” she said, and Gordon made an affirming hum. 

“Yes, of course, so sorry.” 

“Goodbye,” she said, and Gordon hung up, pocketing his phone once more. 

Benrey stared at Gordon, his mouth ajar and eyes wide. “did you- did you just  _ lie? _ ” 

“Uh… yeah,” Gordon said. He knew fae couldn’t lie, of course, but it was strange to have Benrey react to a lie like this, shock and awe tinting their voice. 

“do it again!” He set down his controller to stare at him, and Gordon blushed under the attention. 

“Uh- okay- my hair is green,” he said, and Benrey laughed in delight, yellow Sweet Voice filling the air. 

Gordon smiled, a little flustered, and opened his mouth to say something else. He was interrupted by his doorbell ringing.

“Oh, I’ll get that,” he said, then paused. “Uh, actually, Benrey, can you, like… leave?” Benrey frowned, and he hastily got more specific. “The room, I mean. I don’t really want to, like, explain why you’re here,” he said. 

Benrey crossed his arms. “you can lie, bro,” he pointed out, and Gordon huffed.

“I mean, I could, but it’d be easier if they just didn’t see you at all!” He walked to the door, and peeked out the peephole. To his surprise, Tommy was standing there, gloved hands shoved in his pockets as he whistled quietly to himself.  _ Ohhhh fuck. _ “Okay, you  _ really _ can’t be seen by this guy, he knows too much.” 

“boooo,” Benrey whined, but stood, picking his way across the living room. “this is lame.”

“Just- be quiet for a minute,” Gordon said, jabbing his finger in their direction, and Benrey rolled his eyes. 

“okay, okay, geez,” they said, waving him off, “open your door, cringeman.” 

Gordon rolled his eyes, but did as they said, pulling open the door to come face-to-face with the sunny smile of Tommy Coolatta. 

“Mr. Freeman! H-hi! Your phone call last night… uh, worried me, Mr. Freeman, so I thought I’d- I’d come over,” Tommy said. 

Sweating profusely, Gordon laughed. “Oh, uh, sorry, man, but it’s not really a good time right now-” 

BANG. Something crashed, and Tommy’s face went stormy. “Mr- Mr. Freeman, let me in,” he said. 

“Promise you won’t be mad?” Gordon asked. 

“Mr. Freeman-” 

“OKAY, OKAY, fine,” Gordon groaned, moving out of the doorway. 

Tommy pushed his way in, freezing in the entrance. “Mr. Freeman,” he said, eerily calm. “Who the hell is that?” 

Gordon sighed and turned around. Benrey had (predictably) knocked over his armchair (AGAIN), and was now standing next to it, seemingly frozen in the process of picking it up. Teal lights were fading from the air, and he looked at Tommy in complete shock. 

“bye,” they said, then turned around and fled for the window. 

“ **Stop right there,** ” Tommy said, and they froze, ramrod-straight with their back still to him, hands raised in submission. Some Sweet Voice spills out- pale green and white. “Why are you here?” 

“i need his name, man,” Benrey whines, turning around to face Tommy. His face is pale and eyes wide, and Gordon’s gaze slid from him to Tommy, brow furrowing in confusion. 

“Do you two know each other?” Gordon asked.

“No,” They said in unison, and Gordon frowned.  _ That… sounds incredibly suspicious.  _

“Why  _ him _ ?” Tommy pressed, and Benrey ducked their head, mumbling something under his breath. “What?”

“i said ‘cuz he’s, like, nice, bro,” Benrey whined, shifting on his feet. “can i go now?” 

“Would you leave him alone?” 

Benrey’s expression turned guilty. 

“Didn’t think so.” Tommy pinched the bridge of his nose, hard, and sighed sharply. “Why do you need a name?” 

Benrey avoided his gaze. “uh. reasons.” 

“Are you trying to kill him?” 

“no!” Benrey recoiled, looking faintly disgusted. “i dont want him like, dead, bro, that’d be like, fucked up and shit.” Tommy only squinted at him, and he sighed. “i dont want to kill mr gordo gayman over here, ok?” 

Tommy nodded, seemingly satisfied. “Then why do you need his name?” 

“uh,” they squirmed under his gaze. “i really can’t… tell you, bro.” 

“You can’t tell  _ me? _ ” Tommy repeated, and Benrey simply stared at him, lips trembling lightly, seemingly unwilling to respond. Tommy sighed, shoulders dropping minutely, and the tension drained from Benrey in the bat of an eye. “I’m- I’m really sorry, Mr. Freeman, I really have to go,” Tommy said, turning to Gordon, “I have an- an appointment, I just came by to make sure you were safe.”

“From fairies?” Gordon tried to joke, nervously wiping his palms on his jeans.

Tommy nodded, dead serious. “See- see you later, Mr. Freeman,” he said, turning and walking out of Gordon’s house. 

Gordon turned to Benrey, who’s demeanor has almost radically shifted, back to slouching with a smirk, color returning to their face. A bit of lingering anxiety hovered at the edge of their stance- he twisted his hands and looked nervously at the door- but otherwise, it was back to normal, not-scared-shitless Benrey. 

“Are you going to tell me what the fuck just happened?” Gordon demanded, and they blinked at him. 

“wha? huh?” He turned back to the living room, blinking a few more times. “bro, what- what happened to your chair?”

Gordon grit his teeth and turned away, storming down the hallway to his bedroom. 

He really was an idiot sometimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D :D :D
> 
> also again no beta reader tbh i didnt even proofread that hard sorry gang


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lore? Lore for Tommy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLOOOOO this chapter the boomers will be introduced so!! just as a note to avoid confusion, Bubby uses any pronouns, so I'll switch between he/she/they while writing!! If you have neopronoun suggestions...... I am looking.

Tommy was running late. He was behind by exactly 30 seconds. 31 seconds. 32- 

He shakes his head, frustrated, and checks both ways before crossing the street. He reaches the sidewalk on the other side and steps off of it into the woods surrounding this empty highway, and immediately feels the weight of the world fall off his shoulders. He sighs in relief, rolling his shoulders and neck and letting his glamour fall away. As much as he loves his little life as a human, and as much as he trusts Mr. Freeman, nothing quite beats this- just Tommy and the woods. 

Here, the trees are thick and close together, the branches weaving together so tightly that the barest sliver of sun shines from the leaves, dappling the underbrush. To a human, it would be nigh-impossible to navigate, but to a fae... Tommy takes a deep inhale, and grins.

He flits from tree to tree, not flying, but not touching the ground, either. His eyes track every movement of the leaves, and his sensitive ears hear every slight shift. A walk that would take someone like Mr. Freeman hours is traversed in mere moments as Tommy drops back down to the forest floor with a soft  _ thump. _

Ahead of him, peeking through the pines, is a clearing. It’s wide, spanning a perfect circle of death, and a thin layer of frost covers the ground. As he steps into the clearing, rotting leaves and dead pine needles make him sink just a bit, leaving perfect shoe prints behind. The only thing growing in this clearing is the ring of colorful mushrooms surrounding it. A bone crunches under Tommy’s foot, and he lifts it to find the shattered remains of a half-eaten mouse’s skull under his heel.

The clearing is dull, shades of gray and brown and dark, sick-looking green, and almost entirely empty. If you didn’t know where to look, you would think you were alone. 

Tommy is luckier than you. He knows. The dead, hollow trees on the far end of the clearing bow and twist together, creating a dark shadow in the space beneath their arch. The feeling of death and destruction radiates from this shadow, and Tommy walks right up to it, sighing. 

“Hello, Dad.” 

“... Tommy. You, are, late.” A figure leans out of the shadows, tall, thin, and as dull as the clearing around him. His skin is ash-gray, his irises glow an ice blue, and jutting out of his black hair are the horns of a Stag with twigs, mushrooms, and leaves twisting around their bases like the trees above in a crude imitation of a crown. His ears, deer-esque and tipped in black fur, flick slightly in irritation. 

“I know, Dad.” Tommy sighs, and his breath hangs heavy with frost in the air. “I was checking on a friend.” 

His Father’s lips twist into an irritated sneer, and the temperature drops further. “Tommy, you  _ know _ I don’t care for your…  _ human pets _ ,” he spits, and Tommy tries his hardest to not look up at him. 

“I know, Dad,” he repeats. The chill is starting to make the tips of his ears and fingers ache. He knows his Father knows this. They stare at each other for a few long moments. “I was dealing with something. You might know about it, actually.” 

His Father simply looks at him with faint disgust. “What, could I have anything to do. with  _ mortals _ , Tommy. You, of all people, should know I avoid them at all costs.” 

“I know, Dad.” He seems to say that a lot. “But it’s not about the human. It’s about a fae. A seelie.” 

“A _ Seelie? _ ” His eyebrows raise. “You know I have no control over them... not even in the months, when this world is my domain.” 

“They’re trying to get the name of a human,” Tommy presses. “You know the Seelie aren’t normally like that. I was just wondering…” 

“Are.. you, accusing, me of.  _ Manipulating  _ one of Her Majesty’s  _ precious _ subjects?” His Father leans back into the shadows, but his eyes still glow sharply out at Tommy. 

“N-no,” Tommy says. It’s true enough that he gets it out, but his throat burns a little around it. Times like these are why he prefers mortals; he’s much more likely to get a straight answer out of them, or at least be able to catch one in a lie. “I was just-” 

“ **_Silence_ ** _. _ ” 

Tommy’s mouth falls shut against his will, tongue caged behind his teeth. As always, it hurts, like his soul was doused in ice water. He grits his teeth, fuming, and glares the best he can. It serves as a reminder of what he’s protecting Gordon from: the incomprehensible pain of your free will being ripped out of your grasp. 

_ Is this one bothering you, Father? _

Tommy winces as the all-too familiar voice echoes harshly in his mind, making his head ache and feeling like the mental equivalent of rubbing a shark backwards. He instinctively closes his eyes.

“No… no, my pet, you know this one is… off, limits, hm?” His Father’s gaze finally turns away from him, and the feeling of being gripped drops. Tommy sucks in a relieved breath, even as displeasure that doesn’t belong to him rattles around in his brain. 

_ Yes, my Father, _ it says, and withdraws. 

“I didn’t summon you to bicker about, mere,  _ mortal _ , matters, Tommy,” his Father continues. “... you know, Autumn is nearing.”

“Yes,” Tommy says hesitantly, unsure where this is going.

“I want to talk to you about… the Queen.”

…

“See anything?”

“Nope!”

“... now?” 

“Negative!” 

“... how about now?” 

“When I  _ do _ see something, I’ll be sure to tell you!” 

Bubby huffs and folds his arms across his chest, sparks crackling at the end of his fingers. “I don’t see why we’re still out here, anyway. He’s long gone by now. This is moronic.” 

The shroom pixie below him tuts, springing off the cap of a mushroom and landing in the branch of a tree above. “You know a mortal can’t get away with having seen the fae, my dear Bubby!” 

“I know that,” Bubby grumbles. “It’s not like anyone’s going to  _ believe _ him.”

“You may be right!” Coomer beckons, and Bubby sighs, flying up to the branch next to him and leaving little scorch marks on the ground in their wake. “But if someone  _ does _ believe him, then we’re in big trouble!” 

“Her  _ Majesty’s _ in big trouble, more like,” Bubby retorts as Coomer springs to the next tree. “She’s going to have  _ so _ many challengers if humans start coming our way again.” 

Coomer scoffs. “Come now, dear boy, it’s not the 1300s anymore! The humans won’t just  _ come our way. _ They’ll take their nasty iron  _ machines _ and tear this place right up! And if that happens, the courts will be  _ completely _ imbalanced, and you  _ know _ how important the Courts are to the seasons!”

Bubby scowls, flaring her wings indignantly before flapping after him. “I  _ know _ that! I’m not stupid!” More sparks shoot from his wings, and Coomer sighs. 

“I never said you were, dear,” he says gently, and Bubby sinks in on themself, guilty. Before she can say anything else, Coomer’s face lights up, and he points. “Look, Bubby, we’ve made it out of the woods!” 

Bubby looks, and made it out they have. They look down at the wide expanse of concrete below them and the strange metal boxes whirring down it, and wrinkle their nose in disgust. “Do we  _ have _ to?” He whines, and Coomer beams.

“Yes!” He says, clapping Bubby on the shoulder, and leaps down to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3!! tysm for reading and so sorry about the wait!! it's a shorter one, but....... look!! lore!! :D
> 
> OH- AND!!!!!! WE FINALLY GOT A BETA READER FOLKS!!!!! BIG _BIG_ THANK YOU TO [Ruby](https://black-mesa-power-legs.tumblr.com/)!! Give them a follow!!


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